Author Archive

David, a Mexican-American, was looking for an affordable one-bedroom apartment in the Washington, D.C. area. After spotting an ad in the local paper, he called the landlord who described what sounded like the perfect apartment over the phone. But when David showed up to meet the landlord and tour the apartment, he was told it was no longer available. David suspects that the landlord would rather not rent to him because of his race. read more

If you don't have much to spend on your upcoming move, you've probably ruled out the possibility of hiring a moving company. It's common sense: your move will be much cheaper if you find a cheap rental truck, even when you factor in the cost of gas, tolls, food, and lodging throughout your trip. Your moving truck rental will probably be your most significant cost. If you're on a tight budget, is it possible to negotiate a better price and score a cheap moving truck? Depending on how flexible you are, the answer is probably yes. read more

Why use ApartmentSearch by CORT to find your next apartment?*
Finding a new apartment is supposed to cost you money, right? It probably will if you search for apartments the traditional way. But if you use ApartmentSearch by CORT to find your next apartment, you can actually make $200! Read more to learn how ApartmentSearch.com can help you find a great apartment and earn money at the same time.
1. Explore properties at ApartmentSearch.com. ApartmentSearch is a great way to explore housing options in your new city. Over 18,000 apartment complexes across the country have agreements with ApartmentSearch and the number grows every day. "We have a national team of salespeople whose goal is to target properties and expand the ApartmentSearch network," says Creed Poore, Intellectual Property Manager for ApartmentSearch. Log on to the site to check out complexes in your destination city.
read more

If you like animals but aren't ready for the responsibility of owning your own pet yet, having a pet owner for a roommate can seem like a great deal. You benefit from many of the perks of having a pet with a fraction of the responsibility. Of course, things don't always go smoothly. Your stuff is just as vulnerable as your roommate's is to cat scratches and stains from dog urine. If your roommate's hamster escapes its cage, it becomes your problem as well. When you agree to live with someone who has a pet, it's best to figure out where to draw the line of responsibility before things go wrong. read more

After you've found that perfect apartment to move into, the rental application you may have to submit is easy to forget about. You fill in your contact information, check a few boxes and hope for a positive phone call in the coming days. While most renters assume their landlords know something about their histories, most don't know quite how much a landlord can learn about you from your rental application. read more

When choosing an apartment, diligent renters pepper landlords and real-estate agents with questions about square footage, amenities and security deposits. However, few renters consider the air quality in potential apartments. Most of us don't think about the quality of the air we breathe at all -- until we begin to suspect that the air in our apartments might be making us sick. As we learn more about how air quality affects common diseases like asthma and with new concerns about "sick building syndrome" in office complexes, more and more people are starting to take air quality seriously. read more

No matter how good a deal you have on your rent, eventually you'll hear about someone who has it better. And then just when you start to feel bad for yourself, you'll meet someone who's paying an arm and a leg for a place much smaller than yours. When you think about the wide range of rents in your city, you'll start to wonder –- how do landlords figure out how much to charge? read more

For most people, it would be unthinkable to buy a car without negotiating at the dealership. Why, then, do so few people bother to negotiate their rent? Perhaps it's because we think of our apartment rent in the same way we think of dinner out at a restaurant -- the price is simply non-negotiable. Except sometimes, rent is negotiable ... the trick is negotiating in the right way. But what's the best way to go about it? read more

Owning a pet is a wonderful thing. Dogs provide unconditional love and cats are comforting companions. Studies have shown that people who own pets live longer and enjoy lower levels of stress. Unless, of course, your apartment smells strongly of your furry best friend. If your pet is accident prone (you know what we mean), you can forget about reducing your stress. Luckily, your apartment doesn't have to suffer with you. Here are some tips for getting rid of odors and some advice to keep accidents from happening in the future.
Find the source of the stink. You've got to identify the problem before you fix it. Pets can stink up an apartment in so many ways. If your apartment smells like urine or feces, at least you know what you're dealing with. Sometimes the smell is much less distinct so you'll have to find the source. Has your dog or cat recently acquired an unusual odor? The smaller the apartment, the more pervasive the smell of your stinky pet will be. If your pet goes outside, supervise it closely to make sure it isn't rolling, playing or sleeping in something you don't want brought into your house. If you're sure the smell isn't coming from something the pet is tracking into the house, a bath and good brushing may eliminate the odor. If this doesn't work, a medical problem may be to blame. Body odor isn't necessarily the sign of a serious problem, but you don't want to wait to find out. Take your pet to the veterinarian as soon as possible.
read more